# [Quarter Review] Q3/25 *Published: 2025-09-30* # Q3/25 *Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight, Camille Pissarro – 1897* It's hard to compress the past three months in a short write up, there's just so much that has happened. There's a lot about moving to a new country that I didn't account for, that I didn't expect both positive and bad. The first few weeks or so were filled with me navigating the bureaucratic systems and being a degenerate. I was soaking in as much of the New York City summer as I possibly could, while being confused on how to get a social security number, with frequent reminders that they don't call it a SIN here. I spent 6 weeks subletting in Bushwick, with retired Bengali parents as my roommates which I was happy about as it alleviated some stresses while I figured out the city¹. Being in Bushwick as a landing spot was an experience in itself, with visiting grocery shops and speaking only Spanish. This later inspired me to double down on learning more Spanish and sign up for 8 weeks of classes. I moved onto Williamsburg for a month, at the Bedford stop, and hated it to say the least. I ended up settling in the Lower East Side because ChatGPT (and friends) told me it's a neighbourhood the most similar to ones I enjoyed from home – it wasn't wrong. With it being my first year here, it just felt like it made sense to put myself in the heart of it all. I got my first ever apartment, the bonus is it being in New York City. Things in New York move extremely fast. I have made countless friends, I have met countless people that I can't remember. My phone filled with unsaved numbers, my Instagram filled with stories of people I met for a few minutes and will never see again. In the span of three months, I have also managed to lose friends. It's a little insane, but there's a part of me that absolutely loves the rush. Day to day life has differed a bit as time has passed. Week one, I find myself in a Ridgewood grocery store, a bit excited that I can practice my Spanish and such, but by week four I'm just trying to find paneer between all the Oaxacan cheese. You notice there's tiny things you didn't think about – ranging between realizing you actually won't find your favourite brands to being confused because the bread tag doesn't have an expiry date. Things are different in the most subtle ways; politics are more integral, holidays are more widely celebrated, and nobody cares if you bump into them. I’ve essentially lived out of a backpack for the past three years, jumping between countries, sublets, random hostels and whatever. I don't own much stuff nor have I ever felt that I need much stuff but obviously I can't live in a house without any furniture. It's been a bit of a challenge forcing myself to accumulate things; stuff that does make me happy and adds value to my life but it's a different… playing field I guess. But now that I do have an apartment that I am slowly furnishing to my taste and at a pace I'm comfortable with. I can find my grounding. I'm building out friend groups, routines, and I guess more wholly said, building a new life. I don't want to make this entire reflection about New York (I did) but I'll leave it with a final point: there's a certain level of openness in this city that I have never been able to find anywhere else, and it feels so fitting for me. I love being able to interact with anyone, and the fact that anyone feels comfortable enough to interact with me. Toronto is home, and I do miss it in the sense of familiarity and my friends. It felt odd going from a goodbye party with my closest friends, to celebrating my birthday with people I have yet to know. Yes, there’s something novel about it but sometimes, you just wish you had your favourite bar around the corner instead of finding the replacement. -- I'm grateful to live a life where I am able to chase my dreams. I looked through the goals I set for myself earlier this year, and I had achieved nearly everything I wrote – even the ones I thought were far fetched. Maybe I should be aiming higher. ### What's next? Honestly, just settling in and building out a life. Still furnishing my apartment, hosting more events and so on. I've started a new photography project that I'm constantly thinking about. I think I have to take some time and think about what my next long term goals are. I finished writing this when there's one month left in the year, so I'll start working on that annual review right now… --- [Back to home](https://mitul.ca)